The Row Ready To Wear Fall Winter 2013 New York

For their fall/winter 2013 The Row, show designer twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen took up residence in a vacant seven story Lenox Hill Beaux Arts limestone Mansion in the heart of New York City. Its high ceilings, seven fireplaces and hard wood floors set the tone for a collection that was all about easy elegance, quiet sophistication and ageless silhouettes.

Picking up where they left off with their pre-collection, the show had a slight Edwardian feel to it. But this time with some Asian influences such as the way a column coat cut from a base of silk jacquard finished with a wrap front panel in bonded silk satin, or a below the knee cashmere skirt with a front slit featured a obi-esque insert of bonded satin at the waist.

Cut in shades of black and cream or sandy gold, the show was about sculptured volume that gave room for the body to move easy without ever getting lost within the rich fabrics. Paints cut at the natural waist that gently tapered to the ankle, flowing silk jacquard dresses balanced by three quarter sleeves, and wide V-necks and tunic dresses opened up with side splits for added movement and worn over pants were all ways the designers were able to create a contemporary and cozy collection.

After the show when asked who they envisioned when they were designing this collection the diminutive designers said simply “our clients” pointing to Brooke Garber Neidich, Co-Chairman of the Whitney Museum of American Art, who also happened to create the exquisite jewelry (including a flock of swallow brooches and the diamond and pearl details on the cuffs and collars of the mink coats) in the collection.

And this is why these designers have become so successful so fast. It’s not just their attention to details; who would have thought that red ruffled boudoir mules would be the perfect footwear for this collection? Or the luxe fabrics they developed, like the beautiful flower silk jacquard that looked lovely all on its own and then was taken to another level when it reappeared on the runway shimmering with sequined embroidery. It’s that they make clothing that truly speaks to modern women of all ages and that is something worth investing in.